Am I going to be controlled by the players too?

Cheng Cheng: "???"

He suddenly lowered his head and examined his own body.

It has a thick neck, a broad back, scales that extend from its shoulder blades to the base of its tail, and a pair of huge wings folded at its sides, with wing membranes as thin as gauze. Behind it trails a thick, long tail with a slightly upturned tip and a cluster of barbs at the end.

He tried to move.

His neck turned flexibly, his wings fluttered gently, and his tail swayed from side to side—every movement was fluid and natural, as if this body was his birthright.

Cheng Cheng stared at the still-wagging tail and remained silent for three seconds.

I... am a dragon?

The dragon is a symbol of emperors... Could it be that I'm about to become emperor?

wrong!

Why a dragon?!

Why has the style changed so drastically? Where's Freya?

He suddenly stood up, walked to the cave entrance, and poked his head out to look.

Outside was a bottomless abyss, shrouded in mist and clouds, its depths invisible. In the distance stretched rolling mountains, verdant forests, and a silver river winding its way into the distance.

There was no trace of Freya at all.

Cheng Cheng pulled his head back and sighed.

Ok.

Since we can't find it for the time being, we can only assess the current situation: for example, this dragon body.

During his time in the Kingdom of Konoma, he also learned about the dragon race—the dragon race is considered the highest embodiment of magic in this world. Each one is a naturally born elf, a creature with extremely high magical power. Moreover, most of them live in deep mountains and have a solitary personality, so they have not formed a power.

Every dragon can reach the Gold rank upon reaching adulthood, and a very few exceptional individuals can surpass Gold.

However, without the blessing of the legendary flame, although her combat power is very high, she cannot transcend the fate of the world. Therefore, like the Chicken Tiger Bear Wolf Dog, Spear Demon, and Rock Queen before they were weakened, she is ranked in the Platinum tier.

Above them are the four Dragon Kings of Feng Shui, Earth, and Fire, who, even without the legendary fire seed, possess a near-legendary status—but only four of them.

In his previous dream, Cheng Cheng possessed near-platinum-level combat power thanks to the Great Sage's inheritance, but that power vanished upon waking. Now, however, the mere perception of his physical strength astonished him:

Its deep red scales were as hard as iron, and when tapped with its claws, they produced a crisp sound. Its wingspan was over ten meters, and when it tried to flap them, a strong wind suddenly arose, scattering the gold and silver treasures in the cave.

Its tail was thick, long, and powerful. With a flick of its wrist, it slammed into the cave wall with a loud "boom," sending shards of rock flying. With a single blow, it surpassed its Silver Rank self.

Its claws and teeth were sharp enough to easily tear through steel, and the magic power within its body was as deep as an abyss, far surpassing its perception at the Gold Rank, and even more powerful than after obtaining the Great Sage's inheritance in the previous dream—

This is a platinum-level dragon body.

Cheng Cheng's eyes lit up.

In addition, there are the innate abilities belonging to the dragon race.

As the saying goes, "The wind follows the tiger, the clouds follow the dragon, and the heroes of dragon and tiger soar proudly in the sky." The dragon can change in size, rise or hide; when it is large, it stirs up clouds and mists, when it is small, it hides its form; when it rises, it soars through the universe, when it hides, it lies dormant within the waves.

In addition, there is dragon's breath.

Cheng Cheng took a deep breath, opened his mouth, and a burst of blazing flames shot out!

The flames were crimson with gold, forming a hundred-meter-long fire dragon in the air, distorting the air wherever they passed!

In the distance, a mountain peak was instantly engulfed by flames; the rocks melted, the vegetation turned to ash, leaving only a crater that resembled glass.

Cheng Cheng circled in the air a few times, with only one thought in his mind:

Wow, that's impressive!

too strong!

If I were a dragon, that would be fine too.

He landed on the mountaintop and looked into the distance, where there seemed to be a human city.

The dream world constructed from Freya's memories should be no different from the game world—since she's not by my side, she should be in the palace of Silvershine City.

With that thought in mind, he spread his wings and soared into the sky.

…………

Silver City.

A magnificent palace complex sits on an island in the middle of the lake.

The island is small, but exquisitely beautiful, like something out of a fairy tale. A white stone bridge connects the lake shore and the island, with intricate patterns carved on the railings. Every few steps, there is a crystal chandelier that sparkles in the moonlight.

All the buildings on the island are white, with towers of varying heights arranged in a staggered pattern, the tallest of which pierces the clouds. The palace walls are covered with vines, blooming with tiny white flowers; when the wind blows, the petals fall like a rain of blossoms.

On the lake, several white doves swam leisurely, occasionally dipping their heads into the water to forage for food; on the willow trees on the shore, orioles hopped among the branches, emitting clear and melodious chirps.

At this moment, in an exquisite bedroom in the tallest tower, the kingdom's little princess Freya is lying on the bed, listening to her mother tell a story.

She was wearing a snow-white nightgown, her short pink hair softly clung to her cheeks, and her two little feet were dangling in the air, swinging back and forth.

A young woman was sitting by the bed.

She was dressed in a magnificent palace gown, her long pink hair cascading over her shoulders, her face gentle, a faint smile playing on her lips. She held a thick children's book in her hand, and was softly reading aloud:

"Long, long ago, a dragon suddenly appeared, bringing disaster and taking the princess away, disappearing without a trace. The kingdom was in grave danger. Who in the world was the bravest? A hero rushed forth, shouting: 'I will take the finest sword, climb the highest mountains, venture into the deepest forests, and bring the princess back to me…'"

Freya listened intently, her eyes never blinking.

"...Finally, the hero 'Dara Bengba Bandebedi Xia Duobiruon' defeated the dragon 'Kuntukutakatikot Suvashirason' and rescued Princess 'Mia Morasuna Dani Sherihong'. The two returned to the kingdom, receiving cheers from the people and blessings from the gods. The king officiated at their wedding, and the princess and the hero lived happily ever after like in a fairy tale, and even had a child named..."

On the bed, Freya blinked her beautiful eyes, which were like a blue starry sky, and asked in a clear voice, "Mother, is this child's name as very, very long as the others in the story?"

"No, the child's name is Wang Haoran."

Freya: "???"

Freya: "Why does the child have a name in the style of the Elf Empire? Isn't that hero an elf?"

"Perhaps the princess's attendants were elves," the young queen coughed lightly. "Anyway, that's what the books say."

With that, the Queen smiled, closed the book, and gently stroked her daughter's hair. "Little Freya, do you want to be protected by a handsome and dashing hero?"

Freya thought for a moment, then shook her head vigorously:

"No."

Why?

Freya lay on the bed, her little feet still swinging: "Because the dragon lives alone in the cave, how pitiful... It must be afraid of being lonely to want to kidnap the princess so much."

The woman looked at her daughter's innocent face and couldn't help but smile. She reached out and gently pinched Freya's nose.

"Then let little Freya be captured by the evil dragon too, okay?"

"Okay, okay!" Freya laughed happily, rolling around on the bed. "When will the dragon come to catch me? What will it do to me if it catches me?"

"Freya is so adorable, the evil dragon certainly wouldn't dare harm you. He'd let you eat, drink, and play all day, wasting your life!" the Queen chuckled mischievously. "But unfortunately, the kingdom's bravest knights are all in the palace protecting you; you won't be captured. You must stay home and study hard to become a proper queen..."

"No, no! I don't want to study!" Freya's expression immediately changed, and she threw a tantrum on the bed. "I want to be captured by the dragon! I want to be captured by the dragon!"

The woman looked at her helplessly, about to say something—

"Coo-coo—coo-coo—"

Inside the room, a beautiful clock chimed, and a cute cuckoo hopped out of the clock, opened its little beak, and crisply announced the time.

The woman stood up, bent down, and gently placed a kiss on Freya's forehead:

"My lovely little princess, the clock has struck twelve, it's time for you to go to sleep."

She straightened up, took her father's hand which had been sitting quietly beside her, and the two walked together toward the door: "Goodnight, baby."

The door closed.

The room fell silent.

But soon, a faint sound came from next door:

"...Wait, darling, Freya isn't asleep yet..."

"Ugh...no, don't do this..."

"Oh oh ho ho ho ho oh oh ho ho oh oh~~~"

"Humph!"

Freya wrapped herself in the blanket and rolled over in bed.

"Dad is bullying Mom again."

She sighed, pouted, and looked at the lampstand that had been blown out.

The room was dark, with only moonlight streaming in through the window, casting a silvery-white glow on the floor.

Freya rolled over, lay face down on the bed, rested her chin on her hands, and began to daydream.

What does a dragon look like?

she thinks.

It must be very, very fierce, right?

Its body is covered in scales, its eyes are like lanterns, its claws are like scimitars, and it can breathe fire that can burn a person to ashes.

But the eyes should be gentle.

A dragon that fears loneliness must have gentle eyes.

It lived in a cave, guarding its cold, hard treasures all by itself, with only the wind to keep it company day after day.

That's why it tried to capture the princess.

Because it wants a friend.

If it takes me, what will it do to me?

Freya continued to think.

It will place me in its cave and build me a small bed with its gold and silver jewels; it will shield me from the wind with its wings and warm me with its tail; every day it will fly out to find me the most delicious fruits and the sweetest honey.

When I'm scared, it will nuzzle me with its head and gently breathe out a little fire, illuminating the cave.

Then we'll look at the stars together.